In 2006 I moved to Qatar and things are not what many people in North America would expect - it is not like how the Middle East is portrayed in the media. I'm also a fan of skepticism and science so wondered how this works here in Qatar. Since I'm here for a while I figured I'd use the time to get to know this country better and with this blog you can learn along with me. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - So what posts have been popular recently . . .

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Summer Vacation 2014 – Turkey

Spent about a week in Turkey, where I go once or twice a year. The weather was great, sunny but of course not as hot as Qatar. Spent much of the time relaxing on my friend’s balcony enjoying the view.

And occasionally going to the local beach. This is in a city called Mudanya on the shores of the Sea of Marmara, not a place really known by European tourists and the beaches (as you can see) are not as extensive as those you find on the western coast. Mudanya does get busy in the summer with Turks from Istanbul and Bursa visiting to enjoy a beach closer to home.

We did do a small trip to visit a restaurant in the forests around Mount Uludag. Apparently the village was fairly poor so the ladies of this village decided to form a cooperative and open a traditional Turkish restaurant to generate income. The restaurant has become a huge success and tons of people now travel up to the village every year to enjoy the scenery and visit the restaurant. We went for breakfast and the ladies came out with a huge tray that needed two of them to carry.

It was a great meal but certainly not something one should have every day -- there was a lot of cheese, butter, and fried foods (eggs, cheese and breads).

Then again many traditional Turkish foods tend to be rather fattening (lots of butter) and heavily meat-based, such as kufte and iskender kebab.

Also was in Istanbul for a couple of days visiting with friends of my friend. Spent much of the time at the Bosporus chilling out in the cafés or wandering the Corniche.

It wasn’t a big sight-seeing trip, I've been to Turkey many times, but after a week left for another place to do some sightseeing (that’ll be next blog post).